If you ask me, FILM+ is one of the most ambitious projects on the local film scene in recent years. It’s an “incubator” of short films (and this year they’ve also expanded to feature films) that looks for, offers support to and helps with the production of films year by year, for what it’s been now four editions. The project brings together early film school graduates or self-taught filmmakers from Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and the Republic of Moldova.

This year’s edition is the most ambitious one, and as soon as I started reading about FILM+ and what they do for the local film industry (and from abroad), I realized I had to find out more about them. So, on a cold Wednesday, between two masterclasses, I met with Ana Drăghici (Program Coordinator) and Alex Trăilă (Work in Progress and Pop-Up Coordinator) to ask them about FILM+, how the project started out and, above all, why.

So if you have a film in any stage of development, script development, production or post-production, and you don’t know what to do with it any further, then you need to find out more about FILM+.

What is FILM+ and what role do you have in the project?

Alex: FILM+ is a professional training program that offers tailored support to the specific needs of the projects we select. We’re talking about film projects in various stages of their evolution, whether they are in development, pre-production or post-production.

Ana: There are three modules – Development LAB, Production LAB, Work in Progress LAB. For example, for those in Work in Progress we offer post-production services, for those who start the shootings we offer equipment. So, practical and tangible things. And we also have the residence and the tutoring part – a kind of lab where we take care of the creative and entrepreneurial side of the projects, where we have experts in each field as guests. They talk to participants, give feedback on scripts and help in any way they can.

What is the team behind the project?

Ana: Me, Alex Trăilă and Paul Negoescu came with the idea for the project, but Anamaria Antoci is also part of the FILM+ core. It started from this frustration we felt after finishing school and realizing we couldn’t manage. We thought that maybe we can bring this project to life at some point, when “we’ll get older”. It’s a long time idea to which we got closer step-by-step. Paul Negoescu, for example, is the coordinator of the Development module and a main tutor. Alex is in charge of Work in Progress and Pop-up. I am Program Coordinator and I also help on production, where Anamaria Antoci is coordinator and main tutor.

We’ve already touched this topic. Still, I’m curious – what made you start FILM+?

Alex: It started when we realized that if you are passionate about cinema and want to make film, if you are self-taught or if you have finished film school or any other studies in the field, and you want to enter the professional field, you will notice that there is a gap, an uncharted territory that nobody cares about, there is no guidance for it. After finishing college, you don’t exactly know how to proceed any further and what to do with your project, where to go to, what expectations to have, etc. And if you’re self-taught, all the more so. This is the niche we are addressing. Then, came the idea of expanding to other countries, when we noticed that they have the same needs as us, as well.

Ana: We are a sort of propeller, a mini-trampoline for early-stage film projects.

Ana, you said earlier that you were the first ones to create such a project, you did it with enthusiasm and I imagine that it was quite difficult to piece together the beginning. So what did the first FILM+ edition look like?

Ana: It looked great (laughs), although the project was smaller. We didn’t have participants from foreign countries, we had less participants in total, we didn’t have locations, we only had short film projects, not feature-length. But it was a “good harvest” that year. We had projects that were eventually completed, they turned out good, were successful in festivals too, some of those who participated in the Development module also won CNC funding later. I could say that the first edition was made just as you were to make an independent film, and for us it was volunteer work all the way.

What’s the application process and how do you choose the participants?

Alex: The application is online. We launch 3 calls for projects, one for each module separately – Development, Work in Progress and Production. We try to announce these calls in all possible ways, in Romania and in the neighboring countries.

Ana: The application is quite simple. Once this process is completed, the program board (Ana Drăghici, Alex Trăilă, Paul Negoescu and Anamaria Antoci) starts reading the submitted projects. We make shortlists, we discuss on them, we look at the whole economy of projects.

Alex: There is always the preconception that you only choose projects that are very good. Well, if they’re really good, then they don’t need us. The projects we select are very good from other perspectives – they have potential, are created by people who put a lot of energy into them and discover a subject that has a creative effervescence. We try to find projects that need us and, at the same time, projects where we know we can do something. After selecting the shortlist, we organize an interview where we meet with the applicants and try to understand exactly what they think we can offer them, and what we think they want from the project. Basically, we have to understand if we are a good match.

Ana: The selection process is very important because we work with them not only for a week, within the residence, but for a year.

And how many participants are selected in the end?

Alex: This year we have 7 projects at Development LAB, 5 at Production LAB and 4 at Work in Progress. The program is designed for 2 participants per project – either the director and the screenwriter (for Development), the director and the producer (for Production), or the director and the editor (for Work in Progress). Or different similar combinations.

Besides the Development, Work in Progress and Production modules, there is also the Pop-up part. What is Pop-up and how is the program designed for this section?

Ana: On the first editions, due to the lack of financial possibilities, we couldn’t afford to organize masterclasses, workshops or to have guests from abroad. But we wanted to bring professionals to speak on different topics. And so began the section “Pop-Up”, which is the component that gathers all the participants in one place, together with tutors who don’t work on their film projects, but teaches them something new. They usually work separately, but these masterclasses and workshops bring them together.

Alex: For example, on this year’s program we had the masterclass with Ralitza Petrova on Monday, there will be the masterclass with Andrei Ujică on Saturday, we have case studies – for example the one on micro-budgeting with Paul Negoescu and Anamaria Antoci. The Entrepreneurship Design Thinking Lab dedicated to producers is taking place this afternoon. And these are just a few examples.

Alex: Masterclasses are also open to the general public, but with limited seating.

If I want to join a FILM+ masterclass, how do I make a reservation and where can I find information on it?

Ana: On Facebook, we have information for each event.

What is FILM+ Web?

Ana: Actually, Web was among the first components of the project. Web means the network, it means all the people who can help us with the projects we work on within FILM+, whether it’s post-production labs, sound design labs, equipment rental, etc. We have partnerships and we can benefit from substantial discounts to access equipment or technology at “student” prices, for projects at each FILM+ edition.

How are the FILM+ tutors chosen?

Alex: The main mentors are really the core team of the project: me, Ana, Paul, Anamaria. Plus Tudor Jurgiu and Alexandru Radu with whom we worked from the beginning and who stayed with us. The other tutors are selected according to the participating projects and their needs. It’s a kind of creative matchmaking because we choose the tutors depending on the direction of the selected projects. We try to reach people with enough experience to help the participants, and at the same time to have diversity on each edition. For example, this year at Work in Progress we have Dana Bunescu and Roxana Szel as mentors – two different personalities, with a different approach, with a very different portfolio from many points of view. I assigned them the projects that were the best fit for each one and I’ve done the same thing with the other tutors.

From what I’ve understood so far, FILM+ is a complex project that really makes a difference on the local film scene. Therefore, the responsibilities are many and I’m sure that sometimes things are not easy. What motivates you to continue the project, especially since it has started from enthusiasm?

Ana: It’s rewarding, it’s about satisfaction. For none of us, FILM+ is not the main job. I am a camera operator, Paul a director, Anamaria a producer, Alex is a film consultant. These are our daily jobs, FILM+ is made of passion. It’s tiring, but it isn’t useless. It’s satisfying to receive a message at some point announcing that the project you have worked on with them was granted an award at a film festival or CNC funding.

Alex: I think all four of us are on the same level, as are the people around us. We always think that you have to give back to the community. If we don’t go back somehow and offer help one way or another, there is not much room for development in this industry. From here came the idea of finding as many Romanian human resources as possible for the neighboring countries. Romania has benefited from foreign financing since 2000, and so we managed to build ourselves as a cinema, with outside help, whether it was money or know-how. Let’s help them a little bit in our turn.

Can you give me some examples of successful projects that have been developed in the FILM+ “kitchen” at the past three editions?

Ana: We are proud of all the participating projects, of course. We’ll give some examples from the first two editions, because the projects that participated in last year’s edition have not yet come “out of the oven”. For example, Sarra Tsorakidis’s project, Ivy – she participated with it at the first edition. The project by Sorin Poamă, Ionuț and Călin, that participated at the second edition in the Production module and which will be in November in the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival program. Lara Ionescu was a participant at the third edition and, following a pitch organized by us, she found a producer, applied to CNC and got funding.

Do you have any objectives for the next editions, any plans for the future?

Ana: Usually we decide on future objectives following the feedback at the end of each edition. I would like to grow more on the residence part. Of course, we would also love to help them more, with more resources.

Alex: We would like to put more effort into promotion, especially abroad, because we would like to reach more projects. I would also like to try to invest more in helping them find their “place” after the completion of the movies, to help them with the festival strategy, to facilitate their connection with them, to organize screenings. We also want to open our doors to private financing. Currently, about 80-90% is public funding, whether Romanian or European. But it’s important to find solutions for attracting private partners, who don’t necessarily have a contact with the industry, but who want to be involved in film projects. This way we could help the participants more.

Romina Banu

Photographer and editor; she co-founded Dissolved Magazine together with Melissa. For Films in Frame she gathers film and TV series recommendations for lazy weekends and she writes about interesting projects from the film industry. Other than that, she likes traveling, chilling with her cats and sleeping.